Park District Haunted Trail a popular Friday night activity

[October 31, 2020]     In an effort to bring some Halloween spookiness to the community while being safe, the Lincoln Park District switched gears from its annual funfest inside to a drive through Halloween Haunted Trail last Friday evening.

The trail began and ended the way any good trail should, with gifts and treats for the kids who rode past in vehicles with their parents.

Cars were lined up in the park district driveway and on Primm Road several minutes before the 6 p.m. start as guests anxiously awaited the opportunity to enjoy some Halloween fun.

Program Director Jaylee Swinford said the park district knew it could not do a traditional fun fest that because of Covid. However, they also decided that for the safety of participants and guests they would also not open the event up to vendors. Instead park district staff and volunteers set the entire trail up on their own and manned certain areas dressed in creepy costumes.

Each vehicle stopped for a bag of treats at the beginning of the trail. The cars proceeded through the trail in a leisurely pace. No one was permitted to get out of their vehicles, so the trail was strictly visual with no interaction between guests and the spooky characters.

At the end of the trail, big bags of candy, one for each child in the car, were handed to parents.

While this was certainly different from years past, it was good, and fun. A long line of cars continued into the trail at a steady pace throughout the evening.

[Nila Smith]